Until the 19th century the Roman Catholics in the Burnley area worshipped in a chapel in
Towneley Hall.[1] St Mary's parish was founded in 1819 when a chapel known as Burnley Wood Chapel, or St Mary's Chapel, was built by
Peregrine Towneley on Todmorden Road, near the entrance lodge to Towneley Park.[2] The present church was built between 1846 and 1849, and was designed by Weightman and Hadfield.[3] The land was donated by Towneley, with the stone coming from a quarry on his land near
Todmorden.[4] It was opened in August 1849, the sermon being preached by
Cardinal Wiseman.[5] In 1879 a north chapel was added to the church. Known as the Towneley Chapel, it is a memorial to Colonel
John Towneley and his son Richard, the last of the male line of the
Towneley family at Towneley Hall. It was dedicated to
Our Lady of the Angels, which seems to relate to John’s daughter Mary, who had taken the name ‘Sister Marie des Saints Anges’ when she became a
nun.[4][6]
Architecture
Exterior
The church is constructed in
sandstone with
slate roofs, and is in
Decorated style. Its plan consists of a five-
baynave with a
clerestory, north and south
aisles, north and south
transepts, a
chancel with a north and south chapels, and a west tower. The tower is uncompleted, and has two stages. It stands on a
mouldedplinth with angle
buttresses and a northeast
canted stair turret. There is a west doorway, above which is a large five-light window. At the top of the window is a
canopiedniche containing a statue. In the clerestory are two-light windows, and along the sides of the aisles are buttresses and three-light windows. In the second bay of each aisle is a
gabled porch. The transepts are also buttressed, and they contain windows with varied
tracery; the south transept also has a circular window. The east window in the chancel has five lights, above which is a tripartite niche with a
crocketed surround, containing a statue of the
Virgin Mary.[7]
Interior
Inside the church, the aisle
arcades are carried on alternate round and octagonal
piers.[7] The richly carved altar dating from the 1860s is by
E. W. Pugin. The Towneley Chapel contains dark panelling and painting on a gold surround, and has ironwork gates. In the nave is a scheme of stained glass windows from the late 19th century by
Mayer of Munich.[3] The two-
manualpipe organ was built by
Gray and Davidson in 1855, and has been awarded a Historic Organ Certificate.[8]
Associated structures
Attached to the north and south sides of the church are
cast iron railings, divided by standards with
fleur-de-lis heads. On the north side is a gateway with stone
piers in
Gothic style between which are elaborate cast iron gates.[7] To the east of the church are a
Franciscan convent containing a chapel,[9] and a presbytery.[10]
Appraisal
St Mary's Church was designated as a Grade II
listed building on 29 September 1977.[7] Grade II is the lowest of the three grades of listing and is applied to buildings that are "nationally important and of special interest".[11] The railings and gate piers are included in this listing.[7] The Franciscan convent and the presbytery were also designed as Grade II listed buildings on the same date.[9][10]
^Farrar, William; Brownbill, J., eds. (1911),
"Townships: Burnley", A History of the County of Lancashire,
Victoria County History, vol. 6, University of London & History of Parliament Trust, pp. 441–454, retrieved 24 January 2015